ECOPSYCHOLOGY PRIMER

 

    The discipline of psychology is continuously evolving along with human culture and society.  We have seen it progress from rudimentary understandings of the human being into the many multifaceted areas of research one can find currently.  We have also seen this discipline merge with other disciplines in order to develop a more holistic and well rounded understanding of the human being. However, one area with which  psychology has failed to develop a working academic relationship is that of ecology.  Possibly due to the anthropocentric nature of psychology this was never deemed as being an important relationship to pursue.  For many reasons such as the atomistic mindset, the Cartesian split, and the agricultural and industrial revolutions among others, psychology from its very inception has been anthropocentric and has failed to see that the state of, and our connection to, the natural world has a definite impact on our psyches.

            It is now being realized that this anthropocentric attitude seen not only in the discipline of psychology, but also in humans themselves, is at the very root of our current ecotastrophe.  This is even more of a compelling and urgent reason to synthesize the areas of psychology and ecology.  Ecology is defined as “the study of the relationships of organisms to one another and to their physical surroundings and also as the study of the interaction of people with their environment.” (Oxford, 249)  How can we explore the causes and cures of this human centered mode of relating to the world if we dissect it only with the tools of psychology, which in being human centered, cannot give us answers that are respective to the natural world.  This is why those in the field of both psychology and ecology are beginning to see the relevance and urgency in developing a working synergistic relationship that is interdisciplinary. As Theodore Roszak has been noted as saying, “psychology needs ecology, and ecology needs psychology.”  This is becoming more and more apparent to those in both fields, and due to this, the newly emerging discipline of ecopsychology or ‘green’ psychology has been created by those in the academic world.

            The field of ecopsychology has not been around for long and there is no particular date of creation, however, one could safely say that it has been emerging since the early seventies and has gained force only recently.  Part of the motivating force in forging a path for it in academia is due not only to those psychologists and ecologists who saw the urgent necessity for it but also the environmentalists whom are part of the largest political movement in human history.  Many of those involved in this movement were using scare tactics to get their message across and obviously there was a need for the reformulation of their communicative strategies.  This is another area in which ecopsychology has a major role to play.  Lester Brown discussed this in his introduction to the book Ecopsychology:  “Every political movement has its psychological dimension.  Persuading people to alter their behavior always involves probing motivations and debating values; political activism begins with asking what makes people tick. What do they want and fear and care about?  How do we get and hold their attention? How much can people take-and in what order of priority?  Have we overloaded them with anxiety or guilt?  How do we make credible the threats we perceive?  Movements that fail to think carefully about this may fail to persuade.”(Ecopsychology, xiv.)  One of the contributions to environmental politics by ecopsychology will be a better understanding of how environmentalists can effectively communicate their message that so desperately needs to be heard.  The other major contribution will be that of helping understand the psychological component of environmentally destructive addictions such as overconsumption.  What ecopsychology hopes to help environmentalists create is a psychological impact statement that will help them determine if they are being effective along those lines.

            Ecopsychology involves many different areas of inquiry and practice and has something to take from and to offer all of these areas.  Some of the areas of psychology that it amalgamates with itself are as follows; depth psychology, humanistic psychology, transpersonal psychology, Jungian and Freudian psychology, perceptual psychology, psychotherapy and many others.  In the field of ecology, deep ecology and human ecology seem to be prevalent.  There are also other academic areas that come into play, cultural anthropology, sociology, political science, spiritual and religious studies and several others.  So as you can see the field of ecopsychology is a very broad and multi/inter-disciplinary field with a relatively narrow goal; to repair the relationship humans have with the natural environment by understanding the psychological components of that relationship through their multifaceted interactions and in turn to reconnect humans with nature.

            Among the most well known and respected individuals in the field of ecopsychology is Theodore Roszak.  He was one of the first to develop the term ecopsychology and to academically write and teach on the subject.  He is currently professor of history and director of the Ecopsychology Institute at California State University, Hayward.  There are some core principles of ecopsychology that he has laid out and a condensed version of them is as follows;

1.)       The core of the mind is the ecological unconscious.  For ecospychology repression of the ecological unconscious is the deepest root of collusive madness in industrial society.  Open access to the ecological unconscious is the path to sanity.

2.)       The contents of the ecological unconscious represent in some degree,

 at some level of mentality, the living record of cosmic evolution, tracing back to distant initial conditions in the history of time.

3.)       Just as it has been the goal of previous therapies to recover the 

repressed contents of the unconscious, so the goal of ecopsychology is to awaken  the inherent sense of environmental reciprocity that lies within the ecological unconscious.  Ecopsychology seeks to heal the more fundamental alienation between the recently created urban psyche and the age old natural environment.

4.)       For ecopsychology as for other therapies, the crucial stage of

development is the life of the child.  Ecopsychology seeks to recover the child’s innately animistic quality of experience in functionally “sane” adults.  To do this it turns to many sources, among them traditional healing techniques of primary people, nature mysticism as expressed in religion and art, the experience of wilderness, and the insights of deep ecology. 

5.)       The ecological ego matures toward a sense of ethical responsibility

to the planet that is as vividly experienced as our ethical responsibility to other people.  It seeks to weave that responsibility into the fabric of social relations and political decisions.

6.)       Among the therapeutic projects most important to ecopsychology

is the re-evaluation of certain compulsively “masculine” character traits that permeate our structures of political power and which drive us to dominate nature as if it were an alien and rightless realm.  In this regard, ecopsychology draws significantly on the insights of ecofeminism with a view to demystifying the sexual stereotypes.

7.)       Whatever contributes to small scale social forms and personal

empowerment nourishes the ecological ego.  Whatever strives for large-scale domination and the suppression of person hood undermines the ecological ego.  Ecopsychology is post-industrial, not anti-industrial in its social orientation.

8.)       Ecopsychology holds that there is a synergistic interplay between

planetary and personal well being.  The needs of the planet are the needs of the person, the rights of the person are the rights of the planet.  (ecopsychology.athabascau.ca)

 

            What is the ecological unconscious that Roszak suggests is the core of the mind?  There are different ways of approaching this question.  Fundamentally the ecological unconscious is that part of us that knows that the worldview of “the other” as being that which is outside ourselves,  or the natural world, is intrinsically incorrect.  “The other” is actually none other than ourselves, for we are made of the very same stuff as the rest of the natural world and indeed our very DNA is only in a miniscule way different from that of plant or other animal DNA.  We seem to have forgotten that we too are animals, the human animal, and are not some alien species set upon this planet to lord over and decide the fate of all other lifeforms.  It is this profound alienation from the natural world that the industrial and in part agricultural revolutions have convinced us of, that has made what was once according to Ralph Metzner, the ecological conscious, into that which is now termed the ecological unconscious.  Our once deep sense of connectedness with the natural world has been profoundly, but hopefully not irreversibly, damaged by these current anthropocentric worldviews.  One method incorporated into both the research and practices of ecopscyhology is looking back to indigenous cultures and peoples for clues on how to reawaken the ecological unconscious.  This will be discussed later.

            Now what is the ecological ego?  Well the ego is essentially according to Freudian theory, one part of the three levels of  psyche, and is the part responsible for mediating between the person or self, and reality or the physical world.  So the ecological ego is that part of the psyche that would mediate between the self and the self’s actions and the moral and ethical implications of those actions upon reality which in this case would be the natural environment or world.  It stands without saying that the ecological ego is definitely underdeveloped and immature in most humans.  This is another main goal of ecopsychology, to work with and develop this ‘ecological ego’ by extending the Freudian sense of ego beyond simply self contained dimensions into that of a more selfless, yet self conscious reciprocal relationship with the natural environment.

            How do we nurture and mature this ecological ego and bring to consciousness the suppressed ecological unconscious?  Ecopsychology calls first and foremost for a reformulation of our dominant and masculine worldviews and paradigms.  Ralph Metzner, another respected leader and promoter of the ecopsychology movement which he calls ‘green psychology’, posits a radical theory pertaining to the current world paradigm; “our familiar conception of  First, Third and Fourth Worlds, based on economic power, is logically and historically flawed.  The world of the indigenous tribal people is the true, original first world.” (Metzner,7)  Metzner and many others believe that indigenous societies provide an example of working, reverent and sustainable physical, psychological and reciprocal relationships with the natural world.  “World –wide, the indigenous peoples of the so-called fourth world have preserved the spiritual practices as well as the ecological awareness of their ancestors.  By contrast, in the industrialized, urban North, the increasing dominance of the materialist worldview, and the colonialist mentality that accompanied it, has led to severe alienation from the traditional sense of embeddedness in the cycles of the natural world.” (Metzner, 13)  The so called fourth world has been postulated by modern sociologists as being that of the indigenous peoples.  In the realm of ecopsychology Metzner believes that the fourth world is actually the world of the first aboriginal or indigenous peoples and the fourth world is the modern, industrial world.

            One of the proposed possible models for ecopsychology practices that comes from indigenous cultures is that of perennial shamanism.  It is termed perennial shamanism because it has been practiced throughout known human history, it is estimated that it has been in use for more than forty thousand years.  So obviously it is a long standing tradition that until only recently has played a major role in many cultures.  Once again due to the repression of Earth based spritiuality by the modern techno-industrial world and also by various forms of organized religion we have seen its demise except for in what are now considered the last surviving primitve cultures of the Earth.  The worldview of shamanism closely resembles that of the worldview that ecopsychology strives to reintegrate into our Westernized culture.  It is a worldview that believes you can only be as healthy as your relationships and actions upon the community of life or the natural world. 

            In Leslie Gray’s opinion, (an ecopsychologist whom is one of the foremost practitioners of shamanic counseling), the techniques and practices of shamanism are cross-cultural and can therefore be used as ecotherapies to be used clinically with individuals and with groups.  The difference between modern Western psychotherapy and shamanic healing is that in psychotherapy there is an emphasis and reliance upon analysis and cures based upon individual problems and crises without regard to anything outside the individual self and its experiences.  In shamanic healing or counseling there is not an emphasis on what Gray calls a “talking cure,” but rather an emphasis on techniques of personal empowerment brought to practice through the exploration and meeting of self with the natural world.  “One of the biggest things missing from mainstream psychology is spirit.  For example, “guided imagery” is not about spirit.  It’s a psychological technique employing visualization, and it is essentially practiced upon a patient by a psychotherapist.  Shamanic journeys are an interaction, a direct link, between the patient and spirit.  So the real shamanic counselor is the power animal.” (Gray, 180)  In relation to ecopsychology’s emphasis on looking towards indigenous societies for answers to healing the human/nature split Gray says; “There are many models of sustainable indigenous societies.  There are no models of sustainable industrial societies.  It would be tragic to waste this accumulated knowledge.” (Gray, 182)

            Among other ecotherapies we find emerging within the field of ecopsychology is wilderness therapy.  This type of therapy rejects the typical office-client setting that most therapy takes place in.  Instead wilderness therapy looks toward the original therapeutic setting, the wilderness or natural environment.  If we are looking to identify and resolve the causes and cures of the damaging relationship we currently have with the environment than we need to remove ourselves from the setting in which they occur.  How can we reconnect with nature in an urban office?  Wilderness therapy takes us away from everything that is unnatural and not of us and puts in a setting in which we can come to realize is part of us: nature.  Wilderness therapy often consists of long forays into the wild in which participants are urged to leave behind the holdings and objects of their culture.  The traveling of the wilderness/culture boundary is paid special attention to and the subsequent emotions it evokes are examined. Here are a list of prelimary findings given by Robert Greenway on the effects of and reactions to this form of therapy, (these findings are based upon 1,380 people that went through his program for training wilderness leaders):

*90% of respondents described an increased sense of aliveness, well-being, and energy

*90% stated that the experience allowed them to break an addiction (defined very broadly- from nicotine to chocolate and other foods)

*80% found the return initially very positive

*53% of those found that within two days the positive felelings had turned to depression

*77% described a major life change upon return

*38% of those changes held true after five years

*60% of the  men and 20% of the women stated that a major goal of the trip was to conquer fear, challenge themselves, and expand limits

*57% of the women and 27% of the men stated that a major goal of the trip was to “come home” to nature

*60% of all respondents stated that they had adopted at least one ritual or contemplative practice learned on the trip; 17% of those studied longitudinally (nine out of fifty) stated that they were still doing the practice after five years

            So as we can see, this mode of ecotherapy does have positive and lasting results for many. It can serve as a tool to reestablish our relationship to and with nature and bring that newfound awareness into our cultural interactions as much as is possible.  Hopefully in doing this if enough people would do this, it would help carry along an ecological awareness that promotes better relationships with the environment.

            In working towards a relationship that views humans as the stewards of Earth and not just the superior takers of Earth, ecopsychology turns towards many modes of understanding.  One of the major goals is to help develop an ecological awareness.  To bring this about there is a need for a new ecological perception and along with that a new ecological language that echoes the sensual aspects of nature and calls them forth in consciousness.  This is once again an effort to bring the ecological unconscious into light or consciousness. 

David Abrams has done some wonderful work on this subject   He believes we have not only become out of touch with the natural world, but out of ‘sense’.  We are creatures of five know senses.  The constructed modern world that we live in currently often does not lend itself to a sensual and beautiful experience of the world.  Especially when we sit in buildings, drive in cars, or interact with computers more often than we view with wonder the textures of nature.  The world of nature is sensual and consists of many textures, smells, sounds, etc.  Ecopsychology along with Abrams acknowledges that we often forget and are out of touch with this sensuality and this leads us to commit ecocided which while being destructive to the very world we live in is also destructive to our very survival.  “Caught up in a mass of abstractions, our attention hypnotized by a host of human-made technologies that only reflect us back to ourselves, it is all too easy for us to forget our carnal inherence in a more-than-human matrix of sensations and sensibilities.  To shut ourselves off from these other voices, to continue by our lifestyles to condemn these other sensibilities to the oblivion of extinction, is to rob our own senses of their integrity, and to rob our minds of their coherence.  We are human only in contact, and conviviality with what is not human.” (Abrams, 22)  To accomplish the revival of a sensual relationship with nature Abrams believes we must realize the intersubjectivity of all living things.  The fact that when we stop in the woods to view a particular flower that there are an array of other living organisms that are also viewing us and that they are not necessarily without feeling or subjectivity and are not outside the realm of our interaction with that flower. 

In order for ecopsychology to be successful there are many aims that need to be strived for.  To start with there is the need for the re-envisioning of dominant worldviews and paradigms.  In Ralph Metzner’s view and others, there is special need for the conversion of industrial age scientific paradigms to those of what is being deemed the ‘ecological age’s paradigms.  The reason it is especially important to rework scientific paradigms is that ecopsychology is inherently embedded in the sciences, both the natural, (ecology), and the human, (psychology, political science, etc.) sciences.  Therefore without this reworking of scientific paradigms the field of ecopsychology has a dim future.  Some of these paradigms that need to be reformulated are according to Metzner as follows;

*Universe as machine to that of Universe as process or story

*Earth as inert matter to that of Gaia: Earth as super-organism

*Linear causality to that of Chaos: nonlinear dynamics

*Atomism to that of Holism and systems theory

*Determinism to that of Indeterminacy, probability

*Mechanomorphic to that of Organismic

All of theses shifts require a more holistic and well rounded view that once again is not based upon anthroponcentric views and values.  Ralph Metzner also gives his suggested paradigmatic reformulations for political systems, economic systems, religion, education and many others in his book Green Psychology.  To further research this I suggest that one looks there.

To summarize, ecopsychology is a newly emerging field that while mainly presenting itself in the human sciences arena also pertains to the natural systems, most importantly ecology.  It is a synthesis of areas of both ecology and psychology.  It’s main goal is to understand the relationship of humans to the natural environment  and what causes for the current ecotastrophe are to be found in the hearts and minds of the human being.  It is an ambitious and hugely important field to human survival upon this planet Earth that we call home and on which we are only one part of the community of life.  It calls for the opening of our minds, senses, souls and hearts to the amazing, sensuous natural world, to hear its cries and to respond with a reformulation of our current paradigms.  It is possibly one of the last chances we have to ensure our survival upon this planet.  Ecopsychology has within its power the ability to bring together and integrate understanding from diverse areas of inquiry including sociology, political science, environmental science, history, and many others.  It is a tool with which we can unite those of us who are striving and working towards a future that is sustainable, a future in which we are no longer alienated from that which we are, nature.

                       

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

            Bibliography

1)      Metzner, Ralph.  (1999).  Green Psychology.  Canada: Park Street Press.

2)      Quinn, Daniel.  (1992).  Ishmael.  New York: Bantam/Turner Books.

3)      Abrams, David.  (1996).  The Spell of the Sensuous.  Canada: Random House Books.

4)      Roszak, Theodore.  (1995).  Ecopsychology; Restoring the Earth, Healing the Mind.  San Fransisco: Sierra Books.

5)     http://ecopsychology.athabascau.ca/Final/intro.htm